Veronica Butler and Jilian Killey: Search for Kansas women enters 4th day after 'suspicious disappearance'

TEXAS COUNTY, OKLAHOMA: Authorities are searching for two missing women from Kansas after their abandoned car was discovered on the side of the road in Oklahoma.

The Texas County Sheriff's Department, in a press release posted on Facebook on Saturday, March 30, announced that they are conducting a search to locate 27-year-old Veronica Butler and 39-year-old Jilian Kelley.

Kansas women went missing while en route to ‘pick up children’

Butler and Kelley were reportedly en route to "pick up children," as per People, yet the duo never reached their destination. 

It is further noted that the children awaiting pickup belonged to Butler. In response to the case, the sheriff's department has sought the assistance of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI). 

The OSBI labeled the situation as a "suspicious disappearance" in a statement issued on Sunday.

Investigators discovered the women's vehicle abandoned in a rural vicinity near Highway 95 and Road L, located south of Elkhart, Kansas, as stated by the OSBI. 

This area is situated south of the Oklahoma border.

Texas County Sheriff’s Department shares missing women’s description

According to the Texas County Sheriff's Department, Butler stands at 5 feet 4 inches tall, with red hair and green eyes, while Kelley has brown hair and blue eyes. 

At the time of their disappearance, Butler was clad in a blue short-sleeve shirt, denim shorts, and HEYDUDE gym shoes, while Kelley wore white-washed blue jeans, a short-sleeve shirt, and tan or beige shoes.

Both women possess distinct tattoos. Butler bears a Chinese symbol on her left forearm and a sunflower on her left shoulder, whereas Kelley has a butterfly tattoo on her left forearm.

Kelley, from Hugoton, Kansas, is married to Heath Kelley, the incoming minister at Willow Christian Church in Indianola, Nebraska.

The church congregation gathered on Sunday to pray for the missing women

A post shared on the church's Facebook account urged prayers for the women's safety, stating, "Please, please be in prayer for these women. [Jilian] is the wife of our new minister, Heath Kelley, and the sister in law of church member Hillary Kennedy. Please pray that [Jilian] and her friend Veronica are safe and that they are found quickly. God please bring these women home to their families that are so worried about them."

Individuals with any information regarding the case are urged to contact the OSBI at 1-800-522-8017 or via email at tips@osbi.ok.gov.